Why rational people produce dysfunctional outcomes—and why moral explanations fail
Most institutional dysfunction inside embassies and Washington is not caused by bad people, lack
From idea to action: drafts, friction, clearance, delay, and why “nothing is happening” is usually wrong
Most people working in an embassy can describe their
How institutions systematically defer recognition, why silence feels rational, and how late escalation becomes inevitable
Most serious institutional problems do not appear suddenly. They are
How performance is actually assessed, why the systems behave the way they do, and where harm is routinely created
Evaluation systems are among the most
How power actually works inside embassies, Washington, and interagency systems
One of the most persistent sources of confusion, frustration, and miscalculation inside U.S. government